

COMMUNITY INTERESTS 187 



These are naturally of intense interest to the mother 

 of a family, because their eventual development 

 must affect her children and their future families. 

 Likewise, where the material prosperity and the 

 mental and moral welfare of boys and girls, of men 

 and women are established, there can be no fear 

 of agricultural depression, and this is what the 

 Women's Institutes have prevented. 



Let us now see how they achieve still more by 

 means of co-operation. Although a fee is paid to 

 Branch Secretaries by the Department of Agri- 

 culture and it also supplies stationery, literature, 

 lectures, and gives some financial assistance, it 

 appears to leave considerable freedom of action to 

 members. A few rules and regulations exist, but 

 red tape does not prevent individual development 

 and scope for invention. Thus each village or small 

 town community can spend the accumulated sub- 

 scriptions of its members upon anything that will 

 add to the general welfare of the neighbourhood. 

 Some may commence with a room or building to 

 be used for meetings, not only those held for the 

 Women's Institute, but others as well. Whatever 

 is paid by other societies for the hire of this room 

 goes towards future purchases of chairs, tables, 

 books, or newspapers, a piano, or any other things 

 that will make it a comfortable Club for women. 

 We read of a Hall and four adjoining rooms having 

 been rented, and it was possible also with the sub- 

 scriptions, which it must be remembered come 

 from rich and poor alike, to arrange for a woman 

 to act as Matron. She lived on the premises and 

 was able to see to the lighting and keep it comfort- 



